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In the News

‘Tis the season to be scouting, at least in chilly New England. After all, no one wants to shoot in the snow, unless the script calls for it. Around here, everyone moves indoors for post-production — or flees the area completely. Leading the way, "Empire Falls" has finally closed up its production center in Waterville, Maine, its editing team leaving for the gentler climes of Los Angeles to complete post-production. The HBO feature film was part of a banner year for the state, which had a burst of activity after a slow 2002.

Ho, ho, ho. Purple Crayon Productions out of Meredith, New Hampshire, is set to start filming in Portsmouth this month for the indie feature film "The Present: An Urban Christmas Fairy Tale."

The WB "dramady" "Gilmore Girls" may be set in the fictional Connecticut town of "Stars Hollw," but it’s filmed out in Burbank, California. But you can catch an occasional glimpse of New Haven in the inserts. Yale University has kindly provided footage for the show, ever since the character Rory went off to college.

The public got its first look at the renovations to the Lockwood-Mathews mansion in Norwalk, Connecticut — undertaken by the producers of "The Stepford Wives" — when the historic landmark re-opened its doors December 1. Additions include a transformed rotunda and a newly returned pair of 1869 Joseph Mozier statues, whose transportation back to the museum was paid for in part by Paramount, especially for the shoot.

Connecticut indie filmmaker Lisa Seidenberg’s feature documentary "Pledge of Allegiance Blues" is in post-production. Seidenberg envisions her film as a "Bowling for Columbine" on the religious right. Among the topics covered are the recent lawsuit to remove "under God" from the pledge and the controversy over the posting of the Ten Commandments in the rotunda of the Alabama state judiciary building.

Meanwhile, the reality TV deluge continues: Story House Productions shot footage in New Haven last month for an upcoming episode of "Psychic Detectives" about the Concetta "Penney" Serra murder case. The production crew plans to continue shooting in January in various locations in the New Haven area and at Gillete Castle State Park. Last October, Superfine Films shot a different episode of "Psychic Detectives" in New London and Groton, about the disappearance of a Coast Guard officer in New London.

KLS Communications returned in December for more footage for the upcoming Court TV series "Trace Evidence," featuring renowned forensics expert and Connecticut resident Henry Lee. Early shooting was done in October in Easton and Meriden. Another three-week shoot is scheduled for January.

Finally, Mystic, Connecticut, was selected to be one of only 20 towns across the nation to be featured on the A&E special "Ultimate Holiday Town USA." Atlas Media Corporation taped a boat parade, downtown stroll, and the Mystic Lantern Light Tour on December 2 for the shoot.